i am 43 year old female who has been sruggling with weight for many years, i have no will power to do it on my own
i need to loose my weight to make me feel better about me

I have a hypothyroid condition which I take medicine for but I lost the weight four years ago. I kept it off for a year and a half. Then I moved to Texas and just kinda gave up. Needless to say I gained it all back. I averaged three pounds a month.

I grew up with a family that judged ppl on how thin they were. If they weren't thin, then they weren't worth their time. Now, that I am a young professional and recently married I find myself struggling with self acceptance and self love. Some days are easier than others.

I am a 26 year old Female.

Am a 35 year-old vegetarian who is trying to get back on track after being sidelined with too much work and not enough taking care of herself

Male, 41, Used to love my workout, included tennis. Then had kids, everything ground to a halt. weight came on steadily.

I am 28 and have become very inactive! I work at a bank so I am sitting all day. I then go home to watch TV and go to bed. I have become pretty depressed after an increase of 40+ lbs after I quit smoking three years ago. The weight gain and unhappiness I feel has started to become an issue between my girlfriend and me. I owe it to not only myself, but her as well, to make a permanent lifestyle change.

I love swimming, running and anything outside on a sunny day.

i'm 26 (about to 27 in june). i've been overweight all my life. i lost 60+ lbs my freshman year in college by eating right and exercising. since then i've but that back on plus another 20. i've been on various weight watchers, jenny craigs and la weight loss. but this time i'm gonna try again with eating right and exercise because this is gonna be long term. i started mid feb. and i'm down 10lbs. i hope to keep it up.
update!: since feburary i've lost 30lbs! still a ways to go but very encouraging!!

I am a 24 year old female, and hope to lose about 50 lbs by the end of the year and keep it off! I have always had a weight problem...I am finally motivated again to take it off.
I want to be happy again....
UPDATE: 2/15/12 I am a 27 year old female...I just joined AdvoCare and am 100% this line of vitamins will help me reach my goals...I already feel great, I know I have lost inches...my size 18 is very loose on me...but i still cant go down a size yet :( But thats why I am here ...I need to blog and keep positive!

I am a teacher and a single mom. I love both, but there has been little time for anything else. I love to read, am into politics, and I used to love to ballroom dance.

I am a full time student at UT and work full time, I find little time to eat healthy or exercise, and when I do I can't seem to get motivated.

I just turned 50. I quit smoking December 2008 and gained 12 pounds.

I am a mother of two daughters, ages 4 and 5 months. I am 23 years old and work part time. I am engaged and refuse to even plan a wedding until I am happy with myself. I have a very supportive group of family,co workers, and friends. I've lost it before and I miss the feeling of not worrying about my weight.

mid 40s , career and family

Ready to get back in shape. I used to be fairly active and didn't have to worry about what I ate in a day. I work in education from 9-5 and after work I am a full time student in an MBA program. My goal is to be 30 puonds lighter by Graduation in the spring.

50 years old. Enjoy sedentary activities like sitting at the computer, reading books, and watching TV.

I'm 22 years old. I go to school full-time at ACC. I just completed my Associates of Photography this past summer and will finish my General Studies Associates this semester. After that, I'll be transferring to get my Bachelors in something else (I'm not sure what yet). I also work part-time at Sam's Club in the accounting office mainly. I also help out in personnel.

I'm 22 year old. 6 years ago, when i first came to the U.S. my body was not as skinny as right now. Every family's members are picking on me because of that. So i want to gain some weight. It probably help s because after working out in class, i fell tired and i can eat more than usual. Hopefully i will gain some weight by the end of the semester

Im about to be 30. Im a single mom. I lost my husband last year to cancer and I want to make sure I stay around for a long time for my little girl.

I'm a Sophmore at Austin Community College, majoring in nursing. I'm pretty laid back I love hanging out with friends in my spare time.

dI am 26 yrs old. Moved from San Antonio to Austin. I have a 2 yr old baby girl who is my life!! Want to get in shape and lose weight for myself, and so I can keep up with her lol. this is my last year here at ACC and will be transferring soon to pursue my degree in business, then hopefully getting my teacher certification.

21, type 1 diabetic, very athletic, play the drums, love hangin out, work at Costco when i'm not at ACC, very easy going, going for my first degree in marine biology

Married, mom of a teenager, work full time in advertising and marketing industry, family manager who often ends up changing my own schedule to suit others.

I am a 21 year old female that just returned home from Iraq. I gained 23 pounds on all the high calorie diets. :(

College student with a terrible eating habit. Packed on the freshman fifteen from alcohol and late night snacking. Can't fit into any of my jeans and all my shirts feel snug and uncomfortable. I've tried to go on a diet and start eating healthy for the past 1 and a half without any success. Now I'm studying for the MCAT as well.

I'm a 35 year old belly dancer. I want to drop some weight to regain my agility & stamina for dance.

I am a teacher, a coach, a mother and a wife :-)

My belly jiggles when I walk.

I'm about to turn 40, have gained 10 pounds since having my children and want to have my old body back. I live in Austin, TX and practice yoga for fitness and emotional sanity. However, I yo-yo diet up and down 5 pounds every month or two and it's driving me and my family crazy!

I am 30 year old girl who lives in austin tx. I work downtown at a bar. i need to establish better eating habits for sure and make myself get out of bed before noon every day. i'm not overweight but definately not tone any more, I definately can tell that in the last few years every few lbs i put on the less and less dates i've been getting. I just don't feel good inside or out. help

26 year old living in SW Austin... workaholic. I have always struggled with weight. Between Summer 2008 and Summer 2009 i lost 50 pounds, wanted to be perfect for my wedding. Since then work picked up and i was traveling like crazy, i put on 30 of the 50 pounds i had lost.

I feel comfortable in my own skin. My new positive mantra.

32 married working full time in real estate. Have gotten lazy about working out and watching my portion sizes and avoiding the yummy things that are my favorite.

i'm 27 years old, pursuing nursing, and i'm super optimistic most of the time. i love people and birds and dressing up, but unfortunately i depress myself by occasionally binge eating and continually comparing myself to thinner people around me (and the years ago anorexic me).

Hey everyone! My name is Jillian, I am 27, and my daughter is 6. I am a business major and will be transferring to Texas Tech at the end of this semester. I am really excited to be a part of such a fun class and I hope to get to know everyone as the semester rolls on. I am an avid hiker, I love to jog outside and I hate treadmills (so boring).

Hi, my name is karyssa. I have been active in many sports my whole life. Right now i mountain bike and during off season i try and go to new mexico and ride downhill mountain bike. I am in nursing school and love working at the hospital. I just moved to austin about 4 months ago from amarillo tx!
Thanks

Um, I am 18 and a freshman at ACC.
My major is International Business however, I think I am going to take a few years off to start a 'world tour' and I would like to be in shape for that.

I'm young, short, vegetarian, and very friendly :)

I'm Leticia Sanchez and I'm 19 years old. I love being active and anything that will help me be more active (such as conditioning) would be awesome. I like to go to Planet Fitness and get my work out on. I work at Bill Miller BBQ and I adore their breakfast tacos. :)
Along with this stretching/flexibility class I am taking weight training to develop muscle with flexibility.
I LOVE Herbalife!!! I go there as often as I can. I wish I could go every day.

I do not really work out much at all. The most exercise i've had was cheerleading, but that was a couple of months ago. This semester I am also in the gymnastics course offered here at ACC

I'm majoring in nursing.

My name is Ashley, I'm 26, and a student at ACC, in the Med Lab Tech program.

Hi, my name is Michelle. I'm 21 years old and I am a psychology major at ACC. My plans are to transfer to TSU or maybe SHSU in the fall. I also would like to get a teaching certificate and work with small children.

I have had 4 surgeries in the last 3 years and I have lost a lot of my muscle tone in my core area. I would reeeally like to get that back.

I'm 30 and have two kids 10 and 7 after each of my kids I gained about 40 pounds that I never lost so I'm about 80lbs over weight. For the last few months I've been walking everyday. I've only lost about 10 lbs, but I feel ten times better than I did and I didn't gain anymore over the holidays

I'm a 41 year old mother of three. I have a master's degree in Latin American Politics and Economics. I am back in school studying to become a high school math teacher.

I am 31 years old, married mother of two girls. I am a homemaker, a daisy scout troop leader and an active mom driving to gymnastics, soccer, girl scouts, play dates, etc. We are always on the go.

Fun 40 something year old, married with kids. My bad habits are the reason for an extra 10 to 15 lbs. It seems to have followed me for the last 3 years. We also moved to a new city 3 years ago. I love the city, it is more outdoors, but I really miss my pals and am not motivated.

I am 30 year old database programmer. Being overweight has caused me to have major health issues such as high blood pressure. High blood pressure was the main culprit behind the dissected aorta I suffered two years ago.

I'm a college student majoring in Broadcast Journalism. I love to read, watch movies, and I'm lazy by nature. I don't enjoy being busy but I always am. I'd like to stop feeling so lethargic all the time so that being busy won't bother me anymore.

im 16. in highschool. i just want to be skinny.

Struggling with weight loss like the rest of America..

I'm a 22 year old stay at home mom. I'm 5'3 and weigh 150. I have a wonderful 1 year old boy and an amazing husband. I was always very thin until about my late teens. I lost most of my pregnancy weight but I want to be healthier than I was pre-pregnancy. I can't seem to get below 150, because I binge eat all day long.

I'm the stay ay home mother of one beautiful little girl.

I am a Professional Services Consultant,part-time Ghostwriter, and mother of three.

Counselor, caretaker for others, trying to remember to add myself to that list needing care.

I enjoy watching films and studying French. I have a weakness for wine and salty, crunchy foods like chips or crackers.

I am a 43 year old, stay at home mom. I am 9 months postpardom with twin boys. I also have two daughters ages 8 and 5. I enjoy running, cycling, and being active with my children. My husband and I are trying to figure out our new routine after doubling our family!

I'm 26, a workaholic and slowing plugging away at college. I love working out and I am not overweight but I am extremely out of shape and have problems getting to the gym, as soon as I am there, I rock it but it's getting there that's the problem.

At my heaviest I was 205 and I've lost some weight since then but of course still overweight. I'm very competitive so anything that sparks competition gets me motivated.

I'm looking for a workout partner, someone I can work out with early in the morning.

I'm a senior in high school and am probably going to AU. I love soccer. I took a break from it for about 3 months and gained 15 pounds without even trying. I'm picking it back up but have realized that there are other aspect of my lifestyle I need to change.

Empty nester!

I'm a college student who recently lost about 50 lbs, and I've got about 30 left to go. However, I've gained about 7 back, so I've gotten really worried that I won't be able to reach my goal.

I am a 22 year old female college student. I slowly gained weight from the end of high school up to my current status and feel like its time to really focus and get to a healthy weight for my body. I am a vegetarian, but with my college lifestyle it sometimes isn't the easiest to consume the BEST food on a tight budget. I like to walk outdoors and I try to include mini sprints as well as a pilates class.

I am 26 year old woman, and I have been battling with my weight since college. I was always fit in highschool as I danced and worked out for hours a day, but as soon as I left for college, I completely let myself go.
I gained more than the "freshman 15" the first year, and it didn't stop. By the time I was 23 years old, I had gained about 65 pounds since my higschool days. I know that I will never be the same size as I was before, but I also know that the weight I am at now is not healthy or ideal.
It is so frustrating, because back in 2008 I lost 40 pounds, only to put 30 back on. Last year I lost 16 for my wedding, and I have gained it all back again. Something has got to change.
I talk myself out of working out, DAILY. I eat too many snacks. I don't necessarily always eat bad-- I just eat too much. Right now I am at 185 pounds, and I want to get down to 150 by May. I just want to set a realistic goal here. 35 pounds in 5 months is doable.
I am ready to turn my life around, and I am glad to have found this site to offer me the support that I need. My husband is very supportive, but I do not like sharing all of these frustrations or feelings with him. Therefore, I am very excited to read of your encouratging stories. They are just motivating me more and more to push myself. In advance, thank you.

I am a college student and have been battling weight issues all my life. I have always said that I will start exercising and dieting tomorrow but that day never really came. I would start and then stop all the time. But I have now met the love of my life and it's time I get healthy. It's time I get healthy for ME. I have never been thin and that is something I look forward to day in and day out. I want that day more than anything now and I will not give up until I get there.

I am 28 years old, 5'6 and 220 lbs. I didn't think I'd be back here because I'd kept the weight off for 3 years and gotten down to 180. During this time I completed a marathon - in the 6 months training, I went from never running more than two miles to completing the Austin Marathon in a little over 6 hours. The problem is, after that I stopped - everything. That same day I pigged out...and that continued until I looked up (or down at the scale) at a ballooned weight of 231 pounds! I decided to get back into the game and so here I am and here I come!

I am student and I work. I'm outgoing, I love to talk, and I love people.

I am 43 yrs old, a mother of two, and married to the most wonderful man! This is the heaviest I have weighed. My problem is that I lose motiviation quickly. When I put my mind to lose weight and exercise, I can do it.

GOT FAT IN A BAD RELATIONSHIP

Too cool to be in a diet support group--but I'll get over that.

I am a 26 year old nanny, focused on bettering myself and pushing myself to the limits. An ex collegiate pole vaulter, looking to lose the weight and start a healthy life style... I live in South Austin with a membership to 24 hour fitness. I love the outdoors and am down to try anything to make this happen!

I dont own a car, i ride a bike and walk everywhere. I would like to meet people to hang out with who need serious support and who can give serious support.

I just lost 40 pounds on the Medifast plan and now am learning how to eat "normal" food in moderation. I fell like I know a lot about nutrition that I just don't apply!

35 year old, married with no children. I lost about 30lbs doing WW, but I still have a bit to go. I'm concentrating on eating well and upping my exercise - mostly beginning running and weight training.

I'm in culinary school, I also work full time and am the worlds greatest procrastinator...ever

45 year old mother of 2 adult daughters and one 7 year old son. I work from home and just can't seem to get myself motivated to work out.

I'm a 51-year old mom of two, married almost 30 years. I currently weigh about 245 pounds and have not been at a healthy weight since the early 90's. Food is my go to for any emotion and, at times, I feel like it is the only comfort available. I've worked at getting outside of my own head through weekly therapy for over a year and I'm ready to feel like the funny, smart, wonderful person I really am.

Im 21 about to be 22 in a month and i would love to be in better shape by the end of the summer.

A 70 year old mother and grandmother, I have been married to the greatest guy for nearly 50 years and have struggled with my weight all of my life!

Senior. Patriotic-an Obama supporter. Love the outdoors but hate the Texas summer heat. Had my sons late in life when I was old enough to be their grandmother-raised them in a log cabin on top of a mountain 14,000' up where it snowed 10 months of the year & miss it. Have a part-time job doing payroll & database, looking for a full time job doing similar or 2 part-time jobs doing similar.
Like painting, gardening, animals, chess, bowling, movies, crochet, pool, would not want to live without music & color, & will not give up pasta or wine with my dinner. My biggest vice/poison is bread, especially garlic bread, and over eating at night, especially when I get home from work exhausted and not enough energy to be diligent with self-control. I am a happy atheist & understand that not everyone is. Do not have a thyroid (confirmed by 2 gland specialists) so I have a very hard time losing weight.

So, I'm newly 22 and I'm vegetarian although i mostly forgo the veggies and opt for chocolate and junk food instead. As a working college student, this is really easy for me to do. Junk food on my lunch breaks. Come home late, eat late, and go straight to sleep like a little baby. I would really like to get back into working out like I used to which was hugely successful when I was younger but I find that it's easy to give myself excuses. I can work hard but not having anyone to answer to but myself makes it all too easy to not wake up in the morning and work out. So I'm here to find a good group to help save me from myself and be accountable to someone else other than my lenient self.

I'm originally from Jacksonville Florida. Moving here on Valentines day has been a BIG change for me but i figure if i'm going to change things, better to start with a fresh start!

Age 42 and single lady professional living in Austin, Texas.. I need to lose 35 pounds through patience and persistence. There's a lot to enjoy in life and we need to get out there and make it happen.
163.8

I am 50 years old. I am 5' 3" and I weigh 241 lbs. I've been at this weight for 17 years, but now I want to be healthy. I can't wait to detox!!

Tall, moody grad student and techie

I'm a busy homeschooling mama of two tween daughters. I enjoy running, but sometimes lack the motivation to get out and get it done. I focus on a whole-foods, plant-based diet, but I struggle with a major sweet tooth, especially with chocolate. Three years ago, I was at my highest ever non-pregnancy weight of 174. I'm now down 30 lbs, but still would like to lose 10-15 more.

I am 37, a busy professional, mom of 2 (4 and 6 years old), and a runner. I've been trying to adopt a whole foods, plant based diet for about a year and a half now and am able to stay with it most of the time, but am bad to fall of the wagon on vacations, when drinking, and when in social situations. I'd love to find a community that is geared toward clean eating and clean living to get support from others that are trying to achieve this goal.

I am a married mom of 3 kids. I teach school. I am trying to be a good example of how to be healthy for my family. Some are coming along for the ride and some are not!

I am 54, living in Texas. I work in the social service field. I work with teenagers and love my job. It can take a toll on me when I don't take care of myself. I guess you could say I get lost in my job and family at times and ignore my own needs. I have grown Children and a sweet little chihuahua!

Omg...you guys know me...I so don't fit into a little box...lol. The Before pic was taken for Thanksgiving 2013 (ugh!)

I turned 50 a couple of months ago and recently became a grandmother!

38 yrs old, 3 kids, 1 grand baby, work full time, married.

I am 59 years old and work full time. I have a husband and two kids. My oldest just finished his freshman year in college and is home for the summer.

I'm fat...and Texan.

I was an athlete all the way until college. Around the time I stopped playing sports, is the time I started gaining weight. Throughout my early 20s I haven't seemed to figure out the balance between working, eating healthy, and working out. I still love sports and being active but these days I'm more embarrassed about it.

I work full time as a lighting designer/engineer, but I've recently started modeling. I love to dance and I really want to get into dancing shape. I'm a total hippie and I only wish to better myself in this life.

I am a 27 year old woman who works full time as a manager at a pet hotel. I have slowly let the pounds creep on the past few years and I would like to just get down to where I am happy and healthy again.